Coleman Unit

Visiting at the Coleman Unit starts with the TDCJ Online Visitation Scheduler. You'll need to create your own account—staff can't do it for you. Watch for a validation email with a 7-digit code, and complete the Background Questionnaire before you can schedule. On-site visits run Saturday and Sunday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., lasting two hours. The clock doesn't start until both the inmate and visitor(s) are present. Contact visits allow limited physical contact: one embrace or kiss at the start, one at the end, and holding hands on top of the table in full view of staff. Remote video/tablet visits may be available through the vendor portal, generally once per month for up to 60 minutes. If you're traveling more than 250 miles one way, the warden may approve longer visits up to four hours. Visitation is a privilege and can be restricted or ended for rule violations or emergencies. If you're removed from a visitor list, you can appeal within 14 days to the Director's Review Committee.

To receive phone calls from an inmate at the Coleman Unit, enroll your telephone number through the Texas Inmate Telephone Friends & Family Enrollment site. You'll need the inmate's TDCJ ID to complete registration. Make sure the name on your driver license or state ID matches the telephone listing or billing name tied to that number. Calls from inmates are monitored and recorded, except calls to the inmate's attorney of record. Inmates can't call internet services, 800 numbers, businesses, pay phones, or international numbers. Starting December 1, 2025, you'll need a funded AdvanceConnect account to pay for calls. Until then, Securus offers one free 60-second call per month to numbers not linked to a funded account.

Since Sept. 6, 2023, Coleman Unit routes personal mail, greeting cards, and photos through a centralized Digital Mail Processing Center. Items are scanned and delivered to the inmate as digital copies on their secure tablet. Address your mail with the inmate's full name and TDCJ number, then send it to PO Box 660400, Dallas, TX 75266-0400. Include your return address—mail missing key details can be delayed or returned. Some items skip the digital processor entirely: legal mail, media mail, and books, magazines, packages, or subscriptions from verified publishers should go directly to the unit.

At the Coleman Unit, only people on an inmate's Approved Visitor List or Inmate Telephone List can deposit funds—a restriction in effect since Sept. 1, 2020. You can deposit to the Inmate Trust Fund by money order, cashier's check, ACH, or through approved vendors like Access Corrections, ACE, eCommDirect (Texas.gov), JPay, and TouchPay. Mailing a money order or cashier's check? Include the deposit slip the inmate provides. The Inmate Trust Fund office can confirm whether a deposit was received but won't share balances or transaction details with third parties. Vendor portals and facility kiosks may charge service fees and have their own processing rules. Follow deposit instructions closely and don't include personal letters with payments.